An Olympic gold medalist is selling her $1.2 million mansion after her plans to build a successful life in Louisiana failed, forcing her to return to Las Vegas as she goes through a divorce from her husband.
Oksana Baiul, who won gold for Ukraine in figure skating at the 1994 Winter Olympics, said her “heart is broken” after putting her Shreveport estate up for sale last week. “Thank you, Shreveport !!! House is for sale, moving back to Las Vegas … I love u all. I am sorry it didn’t work out,” Baiul wrote on Facebook. She regretted that her dream of launching a skating school in Louisiana never materialized.
Shattered Dreams
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“I can’t make a living in Shreveport. Unfortunately, I can’t,” Baiul said on Facebook. “I do love all the people here. I came for a reason, and it did not happen. I came here to create some things, but they did not come to fruition. I have to go where the ice exists.”
After winning the gold medal at the 1994 Winter Olympics, Baiul relocated to Simsbury, Connecticut, where she trained at the International Skating Center of Connecticut, as reported by The New York Times.
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Over the years, she lived in several cities across the United States before eventually putting down roots in Pennsylvania — the place where she met her future husband, Carlo Farina.
In 2022, the couple decided to start a new chapter in Louisiana, buying a home there for $600,000.
On September 20, Baiul announced that she had put her five-bedroom, five-bathroom home on the market for $1,195,000 and was preparing to return to Las Vegas.
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The stunning Georgian Italianate-style mansion, originally built in 1925 by architect Edward F. Neild for an oil baron, has a rich history. According to the listing, the “current owners have lovingly restored much of the home” over the past three years.
Located on Fairfield Avenue, the 1.3-acre estate features a grand front entrance, seven fireplaces, a gated driveway, six garages, and even a beautiful outdoor fountain — blending classic charm with modern comfort.
No One to Help
Baiul described the home as “the most beautiful mansion in all of Shreveport” and offered an inside look at her property. “I’ve made all of the money in the world, lost all of the money in the world,” she told KSLA. “I’ve been married, now I’m divorced. But, if you fall down on the ice, can you imagine how many times I had to fall down and get up?”
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In August, Baiul — who proudly celebrated two years of sobriety this Friday — shared that she and her husband were ending their marriage after a decade together.
“Dear extended fam and friends, I’m expressing myself to you this morning regarding my personal circumstances. My husband and I are divorcing,” Baiul posted to Facebook on Aug. 5.
The couple shares a 10-year-old daughter, who has already returned to Las Vegas.
“I came here from Las Vegas,” Baiul told KSLA. “My daughter was born there, and she’s already back. I had just come from Vegas, and we skated together.”
Baiul’s life outside the rink has seen its share of legal battles. In 2014, she was ordered to pay $45 million after unsuccessfully suing NBC and a TV promoter, claiming they had used her image to promote two shows in 2011 and 2012 even though she had declined to perform.
That same year, a judge dismissed a separate $400 million lawsuit Baiul had filed, alleging that her former agents had stolen more than $57 million from her in a “criminal enterprise” after signing her at just 16 years old in 1994.
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Baiul rose to international fame as a teenager at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway. On February 25, she won the gold medal in women’s figure skating, edging out America’s Nancy Kerrigan and China’s Chen Lu.
Baiul is set to join the Vegas Golden Knights organization, where she will work with the skating programs team to help nurture and expand the skating community in Nevada.
“I enjoy, sometimes, taking risks,” says Baiul. “I personally never learn anything from success. I learn everything from tougher situations. I’m blessed and I’m grateful for everything. I will miss Shreveport a lot. Thank you.”
